Medical News update for 2014:

Controlled
Substances:

Acute Pain and Opioids:

Acute Pain can range from headaches, minor traumas, and
minor procedures including but not limited to dental, and outpatient
procedures.

There have been some recent changes in opioid’s drugs for
short-term pain management.Many people
have been taught over the years that opioid’s are the best way to manage the
pain that their patients are experiencing; however, with recent changes with hydrocodone
combos becoming schedule II drugs new ways have to be brought forth to help
patients manage the pain they are experiencing.Some of the changes that can be made is having patients take
acetaminophen or NSAIDs for their acute pain.Codeine and oxycodone show many of the same pain controlling features to
people with acute pain that acetaminophen has shown.There are other ways to help with acute pain
that has nothing to do with pain medication.These include but are not limited to, adding regular exercise to your
daily routine, as well as physical therapy.A provider will know what is best for you.

Many patients like their opioids over the acetaminophen and
NSAIDs drugs because opioids also have a calming effect on people that help
with any emotional stress associated with their pain.There are still many different aspects to
acetaminophen and NSAID drugs that can be taken to help patients with their
short-term pain.One aspect that is
being taken is having the patients start taking acetaminophen and ibuprofen
every 4 to 6 hours as needed, and have the understanding that if they want a
higher dose that does not always mean they will have more pain relief.Please always consult your provider before
making any changes to your medications and make sure the changes are in your
best interest.

The schedule II opioids are not the only ones that have had
changes come upon them.Tramadol became
a nationally Schedule IV controlled substance as of August 18, 2014.This opioid has less risk for dependency than
many of the other opioids out there but one must still be aware that there is a
potential for abuse.Tramadol in the
state of Wyoming can be faxed into a pharmacy, just remember this is the only
pain medication in Wyoming that is allowed to be faxed in.The rest of them have to have a handwritten
prescription from a provider.

New guideline have suggested that providers decrease the
amount of benzos that are prescribed to patients due the increase risk of abuse
and serious side effects.With increased
risk of abuse comes an increase chance of having car accidents, or even falls
which can cause fractures especially in the older adults.There are some aspects where a benzo maybe
needed for long-term diagnoses which will be evaluated by a provider.

Studies have suggested that many taking a benzo maybe weaned
from this class of drug.Taking a
patient off of a benzo it is important to remember that a patient must be
tapered off of the drug.This is typically done by reducing the amount they take by 25% the first
week, and 25% the second week, after the first two weeks of tapering off the
benzo the provider will continue to bring the dosage down, but only by 10% each
week until the patient is off of the benzo all together.The tapering processes will be specific to
each patient to allow them the best recovery.

There are cases in which benzo is needed for a long-term
diagnosis, one example is severe anxiety, or sever panic attacks.When a benzo is needed for the long-term the
best one to use is clonazepam which is a long-acting agent.

There are two common Pneumococcal Vaccinations that are
recommended for people 65 and older to get they are: Pneumovax 23 and Prevnar
13.

The CDC recommends that there are two different vaccinations
that should be given to people over the age of 65 to help combat the cold and
flu season.These two vaccinations are
Pneumovax 23 and Prevnar 13.Each one of
these covers different serotypes, and when an older adult gets both of them it
has shown that they show a better immune response then when just one of them is
given.Unfortunately Medicare B only
pays for one Pneumococcal Vaccination every 12 months.The Prevnar vaccination should be given
before the Pneumovax vaccination.Here a
schedule of when is a good time to get both of them in:

There are some adults who are younger than 65 who may also
be a good candidate for both Pneumococcal Vaccinations.This includes but is not limited to adults
who smoke, or may have chronic conditions that warrant the vaccinations.